I didn't come to faith in a vacuum.You were there,dead poet,hippie singer,saddened widower and your writing,singing,your hand brought me back.This is a love note to you.
The church that I left in the late 60s, I have described before.Liberated in Queens,New York,I left the dogma and the belief in prayer by the wayside on the bridge that goes over the Belt Parkway.With a knowing smile,I went back to our apartment near Kennedy Airport ,kicked off my shoes and happily
wondered what I would do next Sunday between 9 and 10 while the naive priest across the bridge prayed for the North Vietnamese.I quietly settled into the life of a non-believer.
But You,my Lord, had other plans.
In 1969,we,my husband and year old daughter,with green VW bug packed tight,left for the West and Denver to start our new life.I cried until Ohio,never having lived away from home before.Once we settled into our apartment in Montbello I decided to go to church just so my daughter would have some one other than me to play with for a hour.She went to the nursery and I went to Mass and there you were.
A more motley group of young people could hardly be imagined.Singers,maybe five of you ,up front to the side of the altar,serious,long haired,you strummed and sang an Our Father that I have never heard since ,with such feeling,such love that tears came to me,this non-church goer. Every Sunday you were there expecting no applause(in a Catholic Church)just singing your inspired songs and God smiled at me through you.You never knew.
One day,all those who helped me on my journey back to God will be waiting in glory and I will hug you all and never let go.
3 comments:
The smallest of talents when used/offered in praise to the Lord, can reach into the darkest places. They offered their loaves and fishes and you were fed--along with many others I'm sure.
When we lived in Texas and had just had our third child, life seemed easy and prosperous. We had just rededicated our lives to seeking God's will, tithing faithfully and living for Him.
Out of the blue my husband lost his job! How we prayed for the Lord to direct our path, but we tried to keep our dedications faithfully. Things looked pretty bleak.
One night our Christian vet came to help with a difficult calving. Staying for a quick warm-up coffee he talked for an hour. His advice: open a hardware store out in our ranching area--so far from town. We had considered this so we took his words as a confirmation.
Now, 30 years later, we live in Florida. That Hardware store still stands and prospers where we once began on a shoestring and lots of hard work. We are still faithful in our giving, worship and service for Him. To us it was a time of God's voice leading clearly in our lives.
p.s. Your humble, transparent writings have led me to recall many precious times in my life--and meet some soul sisters and brothers who I am coming to value deeply. Bless you all!
Anon,thank you for sharing your story.Faithful and true and He has not disappointed.I am glad the story spoke to you.In the next few days I hope to give credit to others...it seems to be time.
The cloud of witnesses is a surprising group,in my life.
That gave me chills.
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